It's back!
Grey County council has decided to revisit the Smoke Free Outdoor Spaces issue that it abruptly abandoned a few months ago.
Grey County council voted to re-open the Smoke Free Outdoor Spaces issue at its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 5. Such a bylaw would ban smoking at outdoor sports facilities, beaches and restaurant patios. County council voted to abandon the bylaw at a meeting last year after concerns about how such legislation would be enforced.
At the February 5 meeting county council considered two resolutions from its Corporate Services committee. The committee had voted to establish a new working group with the Grey Bruce Health Unit and Bruce County to take a look at the issue. The working group would consist of staff and elected officials from both counties and staff from the Health Unit.
The Smoke Free Outdoor Places bylaw returned to the county council table after two thirds of county council voted in favour of bringing it back for consideration.
Warden Duncan McKinlay said the point of the working group would be to find a way to address the concerns of the councillors that voted against the bylaw months ago.
"We're going to look carefully at the concerns we had last time. I would like to see a bylaw that will work for the people that want it and leave alone the people that don't want it," said the Warden.
When county council voted to abandon the pursuit of a Smoke Free Outdoor Spaces bylaw it cited enforcement concerns and councillors said they preferred to go the education route rather than the legislation route.
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles said he is concerned that the focus on this matter is a bylaw.
"I'm certainly now in favour of more regulation around this. I'm really disturbed. This is more regulation and not public education," he said.
Chatsworth Mayor Bob Pringle said he shared many of the same concerns, but he said it is important to allow the new committee to do its work and research.
"I think every municipality has the same concerns about the areas to be protected and how it will be policed," said Pringle, who noted that Grey County is trail blazing on the Smoke Free Outdoor Spaces issue. "We're on the leading edge just like we were in 2002 (when the county passed a bylaw to ban smoking in all restaurants)," he said.
Hanover Mayor Bob White said it is important to let the working group do its work and research.
"We don't have to be too concerned until we see what comes back," said White.